Exercise band anchor system

ABSTRACT

An exercise band anchor system is disclosed. The system includes a bar, an attachment ring, a fixed clamp, and a moving clamp. The moving clamp moves along the bar toward the fixed clamp to grip a structure. The fixed clamp and the moving clamp may include pads for contacting the structure. The clamps may grip the structure with sufficient force to prevent the anchor system from moving when subjected to a force from an exercise band.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 61/715,614 filed on Oct. 18, 2012, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments herein relate generally to clamp system for door frames or walls allowing exercise bands to be utilized as a portable gym, or a home gym indoors or outdoors.

Exercise bands are a popular form of home exercise equipment. Correct use and form require the bands to be connected to a fixed or static anchor. This requirement, however, greatly diminishes the portability of the bands, as hotel rooms and other accommodations do not provide suitable anchors and do not permit their installation. Portable anchors that fit between a door and its frame are available. These anchors, however, do not stay fixed in position. They may slide up and down (if positioned on the side of a door) or side to side (if positioned above a door).

Exercise bands commonly exert forces of up to 300 lbs. or more on their anchors. Current woodworking clamps, which are intended to hold wood pieces together during gluing and other processes, are unsuited to use as exercise band anchors. Woodworking clamps lacks the correct pad size and pad material for attaching to drywall, door frames, or other structures without damage. Woodworking clamps are unable to resist the lateral forces produced by exercise bands. If a woodworking clamp was attached to a wall and used as an exercise band anchor, the force of the exercise would cause the clamp to slide around on the wall, making it unsafe and potentially dangerous for the user. If the clamp were attached in a way that resisted sliding, it would damage the dry wall, door frame, or other structure. The structure of a woodworking clamp lacks the strength and clamp width to resist the pulling forces that are common with exercise bands. Used in this way, woodworking clamps can bend, twist, or break, posing a hazard to the user.

Currently, there is no temporary, fixed anchor that attaches securely to a door, wall, or other structure and can be used without damaging the door, wall, or other structure.

SUMMARY

A system for providing a secure anchor for an exercise band is configured to removably attach to a wall, door frame, or other structure without damaging the structure. The anchor system includes a bar, an attachment ring, a fixed clamp, and a moving clamp. The attachment ring is connected to the bar and configured to retain an exercise band. The fixed clamp is connected to the bar and includes a first pad. The moving clamp is connected to the bar and configured to slide along the bar. The moving clamp includes a second pad, a fixed handle, a squeeze handle, and a release trigger. The squeeze handle is configured to advance the moving clamp along the bar toward the fixed clamp so that the first pad and the second pad contact a structure, thereby attaching the anchor system to the structure. The release trigger is configured to slide the moving clamp along the bar away from the fixed clamp, thereby releasing the structure. The first pad and the second pad are configured to secure the anchor system to the structure without damaging or marking the structure. The first pad and the second pad are configured to prevent the anchor system from moving when subjected to a force from the exercise band.

Optionally, the force from the exercise band may include a force up to substantially 300 lbs. The bar may be configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force from the exercise band. The attachment ring may be configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force from the exercise band. The fixed clamp may be configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force from the exercise band. The moving clamp may be configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force from the exercise band. The structure may include at least one of a wall, a door frame, and a fence post.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The detailed description of some embodiments of the present invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exercise band anchor system in use, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the exercise band anchor system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded reverse perspective view of the exercise band anchor system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a cutaway view of the exercise band anchor system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show cutaway views of the exercise band anchor system of FIG. 1 in operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

By way of example, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the present invention comprises an exercise band anchor system 10. The system may include a fixed clamp 12 connected to one end of a bar 14. A moving clamp 16 may move along the bar 14. The bar 14 may include an end cap 18, which may prevent the moving clamp 16 from sliding off the end of the bar. The moving clamp 16 may include a fixed handle 20, a squeeze handle 22, and a release trigger 24. An attachment ring 26 may be connected to the bar 14. The attachment ring 26 may include a hole 28, which may receive a carabiner 30 or other equipment, and may be fixed to the bar by a screw 32. The fixed clamp 12 and the moving clamp may include clamp pads 34. The pads 34 may be spaced from the bar 14 and/or the clamps 12, 16. For example, the pads 34 may be configured so that the clamps 12, 16 can close around a door frame 36 and place the pads 34 on a wall 38 adjacent to the door frame 36. Alternatively, the anchor system 10 may be attached to a door frame 36, fence post, wall 38, or other structure.

To use the exercise band anchor system 10, the user 40 may attach the system to a door frame 36, wall 38, or other structure. A carabiner 30 may be attached to the attachment ring 26. The user 40 may select an exercise band 41, slip it into the carabiner 30, and then perform her normal exercise routine.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a pad 34 may be attached to a plate 36 on the fixed clamp 12, and a pad 34 may be attached to a plate 38 on the moving clamp 16. The bar 14 may be inserted through a slot 42 in the fixed clamp 12. Holes 43 in the bar 14 may be aligned with holes 44 in the fixed clamp, and pins 46 may be inserted through holes 43 and holes 44 to hold the bar 14 in place relative to the fixed clamp 12. A plate 48 may be placed over the pins 46 and held in place with screws 50 or other suitable fasteners. The screws 50 may be inserted through holes 52 in the plate 48 and received by screw posts 54. Screw 32, which may affix the attachment ring 26 to the bar 14, may be inserted into a hole 55 in the attachment ring 26 and a hole 56 in the bar. The attachment ring 26 may include a slot 57 for receiving the bar 14. The end caps 18 may be retained by interacting with holes 58 through plastic pins 59, pips, epoxy, or the like. The moving clamp 16 may receive the bar 14 in bar slot 60. The moving clamp 16 may include a release trigger 24, fixer plates 62, upper fixer spring 64, lower fixer spring 66, and fixer pin 68. The upper fixer spring 64 may be located in an upper fixer spring slot 70, and the lower fixer spring 66 may be located in an lower fixer spring slot 72. The moving clamp 16 may include a squeeze handle 22, squeeze handle pivot 76, bar adjustment plates 78, and adjustment spring 80. The adjustment spring 80 may be located in an adjustment spring slot 81. The components of the moving clamp 16 may be retained by a plate 82 and screws 84, which may be inserted through holes 86 received by screw posts 88.

Referring to FIG. 5, the squeeze handle 22 may be used to tighten the anchor system 10, for example, by moving the moving clamp 16 along the bar 14 closer to the fixed clamp 12. For example, when the squeeze handle 22 is rotated relative to the fixed handle 20, the moving clamp 16, including fixer plates 62 and release trigger 24, may move closer to the fixed clamp while adjustment plates 78 stay in position relative to the bar 14. This may result in compression of the adjustment spring 80. The release trigger 24 and/or fixer plates 62 may grip the bar 14 at a new location, so that when the squeeze handle 22 is released, adjustment plates 78 slide forward under the bias of the adjustment spring 80. By repeatedly squeezing and releasing the squeeze handle 22, a user 40 may be able to tighten the anchor system 10 against a door frame 36, wall 38, or other structure to the degree necessary to secure the anchor system 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, Squeezing the release trigger 24 may cause the fixer plates 62 and/or the release trigger 24 to release their grip on the bar 14, which may allow the moving clamp 16 to slide away from the fixed clamp 12.

The anchor system 10 may be particularly suited to securing exercise bands to walls 38, door frames 36, and other structures without damage. For example, the pads 34 may include a rubber material that will not mark, scuff, mar, or otherwise deface a painted surface. The rubber material may provide a high level of friction, especially when contacting a painted surface such as an interior wall or door frame. The pads 34 may be sized to as to provide a higher degree of friction between the pads 34 and the wall 38 or other structure, allowing the anchor system 10 to remain in place when subjected to high pulling forces common with exercise bands. The bar 14, clamps 12, 16, and ring 26 may be constructed and/or designed to resist these forces without deformation or failure. For example, metal pieces may be constructed from steel or other metals or alloys, and plastic pieces may include honeycombing or other structural enhancements.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the present invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing a secure anchor for an exercise band, the anchor system configured to removably attach to a wall, door frame, or other structure without damaging the structure, the anchor system comprising: a bar; an attachment ring connected to the bar and configured to retain an exercise band; a fixed clamp connected to the bar and comprising a first pad; a moving clamp connected to the bar and configured to slide along the bar, the moving clamp comprising a second pad, a fixed handle, a squeeze handle, and a release trigger, the squeeze handle configured to advance the moving clamp along the bar toward the fixed clamp to contact a structure with the first pad and the second pad, thereby attaching the anchor system to the structure, the release trigger configured to slide the moving clamp along the bar away from the fixed clamp, thereby releasing the structure; wherein the first pad and the second pad are configured to secure the anchor system to the structure without damaging or marking the structure, the first pad and the second pad configured to prevent the anchor system from moving when subjected to a force from the exercise band.
 2. The anchor system of claim 1, wherein the force comprises substantially 300 lbs.
 3. The anchor system of claim 1, wherein: the bar is configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force; the attachment ring is configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force; the fixed clamp is configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force; and the moving clamp is configured to substantially retain its shape when subjected to the force.
 4. The anchor system of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises at least one of a wall, a door frame, and a fence post. 